A draft of an executive order from the Trump administration proposes significant restructuring of the State Department, including the elimination of nearly all operations in Africa and the closure of embassies and consulates across the continent.
The draft also suggests cutting offices at State Department headquarters that focus on climate change, refugee issues, and democracy and human rights concerns.
Changes to the executive order may occur before it undergoes final review by the White House or is signed by the president. The State Department and the White House National Security Council did not provide immediate comments on the draft.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio referred to the article discussing the draft as “fake news” in a brief social media post.
The executive order aims to implement “a disciplined reorganization” of the State Department to “streamline mission delivery” and reduce “waste, fraud and abuse,” according to the 16-page draft. The department is expected to implement these changes by October 1.
Some proposed changes would require congressional notification and are likely to face challenges from lawmakers. These include the mass closure of diplomatic missions and a significant overhaul of the diplomatic corps, which could also lead to lawsuits if enacted.
The draft began circulating among current and former U.S. diplomats and officials, but it remains unclear who compiled it or the stage of internal discussions regarding the State Department's restructuring. It is one of several recent documents proposing changes within the department.
Major structural changes may lead to layoffs of career diplomats and civil service employees, with plans to place many workers on paid leave and issue termination notices.
The draft calls for abolishing the foreign service exam for prospective diplomats and introduces new hiring criteria based on alignment with the president’s foreign policy vision.
The document emphasizes the need to expand the use of artificial intelligence for drafting documents and conducting policy development and operational planning.
The proposed reorganization would eliminate regional bureaus responsible for policy-making and instead create four new “corps” focused on specific regions: Eurasia Corps, Mid-East Corps, Latin America Corps, and Indo-Pacific Corps.
One of the most significant changes would be the dissolution of the bureau of African affairs, which would be replaced by a smaller special envoy office reporting to the White House National Security Council, concentrating on limited issues like counterterrorism and resource trade.
Additionally, the draft states that all “nonessential” embassies and consulates in sub-Saharan Africa would close by October 1, with diplomats deployed on targeted missions.
Operations in Canada would be consolidated into a new North American affairs office, led by a reduced team, and the U.S. embassy in Ottawa would be significantly downsized.
The draft also proposes the elimination of a bureau overseeing democracy and human rights, as well as the offices managing refugee and migration issues. Positions overseeing these areas would be cut, including the under secretary for public diplomacy and public affairs.
A new under secretary for transnational threat elimination would be established to manage counternarcotics and other related issues. The Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance would absorb functions from the United States Agency for International Development, which has faced significant cuts under the current administration.
The memo indicates a transition from a generalist global rotation model to a regionally specialized career service framework to enhance expertise in the Foreign Service.
Foreign service and civil service officers would be offered buyouts until September 30, according to the draft.
The draft also proposes narrowing Fulbright scholarships to students pursuing master’s-level studies in national security and terminating contracts with Howard University for recruiting candidates for fellowships aimed at underrepresented groups.
This executive order draft is part of a series of internal documents proposing changes to the State Department, including potential budget cuts of nearly 50 percent for the agency in the upcoming fiscal year and the closure of multiple embassies and consulates.